Here for the Vietnamese version
Answer this: what would make a person get up and do something?
Purpose? Fame? Money? Satisfaction?
No
It’s when other people are doing it.
In January 2016, I posted a status in Vietnamese saying “I think our country is getting better…”. I received around 30 likes and heavy sighs from my friends back home. Obviously, when you have such controversial thought like this, you want to put dot dot dot at the end of the sentence, showing that you’re shy about bringing up this idea.
This Facebook status had existed long in my mind before I posted it in early 2016, and I’ve been trying to explain why I am hopeful about my home country Vietnam- while no one in Vietnam does, or at least no one I’ve met.
Why can I be this positive? Personally, when i live in Vietnam, I was in the black list of my high school teacher, I was fired in my part-time job because of a ridiculous reason, and I rarely felt fit-in in any environments I’ve been to.
If you look at my Facebook newsfeed, evidences of systematic corruptions and bad experiences in Vietnam are regular things everyday. In Vietnam, any small talks can lead to serious concerns about our food safety, our “dry” education system, or the low conscious level of Vietnamese people, etc.
Vietnamese who have the chance to live in rich countries like I do, can conclude shortly like this “Vietnam is very lack of vision.” Their complaints are reasonable, which make my thought “Vietnam getting better” just sounds naïve.
Last year, I had an interview with Trevor Ramkissoon, a counselor at my college’s counseling center, asking his opinion about the differences of adulthood around the world.
Beyond the environment differences, he believed that emerging adults all over the world develop the same – they grow up to find what they want to do with their lives, and if they can see their mission, vision, passion, if they feel connected with their community, they will want to strive to be better person.
If they are struggling with seeing themselves, they will go into “self-destruction path”, which could range from being lazy, not voting, not paying health insurance to violence, alcohol, drugs, and crimes, because they don’t know their purposes. Very serious right.
And here he introduced me to the term “the leader”
– But how can they see their purposes? Not everyone is that lucky?
– We don’t have enough leaders that can sit with people and say to them “I wanna help you figure out your purpose in life” . We need more of these leaders to help our community find their vision, mission and purpose
– What is your definition of leader?
– Leader is a tricky word. Leader here don’t have to be some president or director, leader don’t need to be someone super successful. Your leader is someone you think is similar to you, relatable to you, and might present you in the best version of yourself. You will want to see yourself in your leader so you can look up to he or she and follow the good example.
– How can these leaders actually help us?
– We need more leaders so people can look and say “this is the person that look like me”. There should be leaders in every color, every nation and every background that people can look up to. Leaders speak out, they’re stand out so we can reach out and connect to them.
Having a role model can bring you a vision about your life. You will still not know what you want to do, sure, and that’s totally normal, but you will have an idea of the person you want to become. And that’s already a map for your unexpected road ahead, keeping you excited and focused while you’re connecting the dots.
Today, my country is better because we have more leaders in our community, from different backgrounds and careers that we can see ourselves in and look up to. And don’t forget, each person has their own type of ethical leader.
For me, I care about mental health, so my leader is a Vietnamese blogger who dared to share about her depression (because mental health still equal psychotic in VN) and tried to help other Vietnamese thru her post. Her name or her blog, I already forgot, but her pointing out the truth and passing her stories are very brave to me. This Internet stranger is one of my role model because I feel somewhat related to her, and her blog supports my purpose: to be an honest storyteller who truly wants to make room for other misfits.
Today we should be more hopeful as a generation because we have more organizations that help us find our leaders. I find these role models thru my own search, through organizations I joined, volunteered and worked at, right in Vietnam.
I first found my leader in TGM coach family, who didn’t talk a lot in the crowd and seemed different with the rest of other coaches, but connected to her students deeply in her own way. I saw myself in her, and she encouraged me to not doubt unique self.
I found my leader in my teacher in a document film class at TPD Center, whose passion to tell great stories through films motivated me.
I found my leaders in the camp I worked at, whom I didn’t have lots of chance to talk to, but their empathy to me will last forever in my mind. To kids that I saw at these organizations (TGM life-skill course, TPD film classes or summer camp), I believe some of them also found their role models in these organizations.
To begin with, I heard Toa Tàu (The Compartment) in Ho Chi Minh City has created so many amazing community experiences about developing creativity. Every time I look on Facebook and job posting pages, there are a wide range of start-ups, companies and non-profit organizations that support the life style of young Vietnamese.
The annual We Choice Award, provided by website Channel 14 is such a great source to find leaders because it celebrates amazing Vietnamese people in various fields. In terms of showbiz we had rapper Suboi- the chosen face of H7MxKenzo; on social news we heard of our young firemen generation and the Anti-flood housing project; on science we have the success of a glass that helps 70,000 blind people in VN avoid obstacles. Vietnam is having more organizations and communities that support our generations, respect our differences and help young people like me find our purposes. That’s an early sign of “better” for me.
Though it’s still a long way to have more stand out leaders and organizations for Vietnamese generation, I think Vietnam is in its track to become a better place, because our generation is witnessing more role models from all fields and backgrounds that we can relate to and look up to. And don’t forget, that each of us has different stories, and souls to souls connection happent in so many forms and places we never thought of. Thus, maybe ALL OF US, ANY OF US can be role models to other people. So speak out your story and pass it, you might help others.
What about you, who do you admire? Your sister, old teacher, your boss or a neighbor? Fill in this blank by close your eyes and whisper to yourself: This person, _______ is my role model that I can learn from, because I see my best version in this role model.
hienlahanhdong 
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